Glowology

It’s Friiiiidaaaaaaay! And I am really looking forward to a weekend with not much in the way of plans. There will be sunshine, there will be fizzy and there will be playing around and finding out all about my new, latest love – VLOGGING! But more on that soon. Right now, I just want to reiterate my love for the Laura Geller Nude Kisses Lip Gloss and give you a more detailed review than that which I put on my vlog on Monday 🙂 You can read about it and watch the vlog HERE

So, why do I love these glosses so much? Well, as a woman who likes a no-fuss, natural look most of the time and one that won’t exaggerate lip wrinkles if possible, I LOVE a nude lip. It seems to work for me and I reckon it will for most over 40s. But, if you love to rock a red lip or something a little more vibrant, that’s great too and I admire a strong lip look, but it’s not something that, for me, is so easy to achieve.

I was over excited when I got the press release about these lip glosses – there were 16 – hear me people – SIXTEEN! – nude shades in the range. Now, some people might say, ‘well, why would you want 16 shades which are all very similar? ‘ Let me tell those people, you haven’t looked in my makeup bag and seen 100 shades of various textured lip products, that are all very similar but are NOT quite the same. So there! I’m a nudist – and I’m proud! Take that which way you want to (but being a nudist does actually only refer to my passion for lipstickhues – I don’t have a passion for flinging off my kit and flapping free in the wind!)

So, getting back to the Laura Geller glosses – they are ultra-creamy and comforting on the lips, the sponge tip has a little dent in it which fits on the curve of the lip and makes applying even easier – result! I mean, slicking on a nude gloss is easy for everyone – and it just got quicker and easier – what’s not to love?

The glosses are moisturising too – great for my lips that are definitely dryer in the summer rather than winter funnily enough – and the coverage is sheer to medium with a non-sticky shine. Perfect!

Another thing I think is amazing about the size of the range is that you will definitely find a shade to suit your skin tone and what I am wearing now with a tan, will no doubt change in the colder months when my skin is much paler.

And don’t forget those soft peachy, pinky tones really do give you a plumped up, fuller looking lip – truly like yours but better – a phrase the beauty world likes to tag on to every makeup product that comes onto the market. Take note brands – we’ve heard it all before – but, then again, is there a cleverer way to describe a product that makes you look like you, but a newimproved version? Maybe not! So let’s go with it.

If you want to check out the shades and read a bit more about them you’ll find these heavenly lip glosses here at feelunique.com or debenhams.com for £16.

Let’s hear it for the nudists! Do you love a barely there lipstick? What’s your favourite shade?

I was having a little Monday morning chat with my friend Dorota from Hypoxi – you know I love it there – click HERE to find out why. And she said, ‘you’re so easy to talk to, why don’t you do YouTube.’ YouTube?! (insert horror face emoji here) me? 50 year old non-stop natterer who forgets what she was talking about mid-sentence (thanks menopause) and whose train of thought is as messy and disorganised as my kitchen cupboards (Stressed Husband will vouch for that as he’s always getting bonked on the head by a random falling can of beans or loaf of bread whenever he ventures near.) So, basically, with my level of forgetfulness and scatty-ness, I laughed at Dorota’s suggestion. Obviously…

Then I went and did it! I just made a really badly lit, badly scripted (there was no script) video all about my favourite beauty bits that I’m using at the moment. Basically, I came back from the dog walk and plonked my camera up on a shoebox at the dining room table aka my office and chatted a bit about why I love the products I’m using at the moment. So, what I’m trying to say is – I felt the fear and did it anyway!

Before I get trolled or laughed off the blogosphere and YouTube-sphere (eh?) please cut me some slack – I thought the best way to start even thinking about doing videos and making them look all sleek and professional is just to jump in and lose my vlog-ginity – so I did. Remember, be kind!

The products that I spoke about in this vid really are fabulous, so do check them out and click on the names below to see where you can find out more and purchase them.

Also, don’t be alarmed – if I decide to carry on vlogging I promise I will make it more pro-looking and I will comb my hair. Oh, and please subscribe to my YouTube Channel (never thought I’d hear me saying that!)

Just after my 50th birthday when I wondered what on earth was going on with me – my body seemed to be falling apart quicker than a Primark bikini and my brain forecast was foggy with more than a sprinkling of high level anxiety and forgetfulness – I decided to look at a menopause symptom checker. It didn’t make for particularly jolly reading, but it did set my mind at rest that what I was feeling was perfectly normal for a woman at my ‘time of life.’

As I went down ticking off almost every one of the symptoms on the menopause symptoms list, I vowed to take myself in hand and deal with the most debilitating of them. Hitting the HRT was the first step and within a couple of months the fog cleared, the energy soared and I began to feel a lot more like Lisa pre 45 years old – and it was great. With HRT I felt like I’d dealt with the major menopause symptoms that were bothering me in one fell swoop, but there were still the niggling aches and pains that hindered my workout attempts, making my walk-runs and zumba classes a little less joyful than they had been a few years back. So, I was delighted when I was contacted by one of the UK’s leading health and wellbeing brands, Neo-G, who asked whether I’d be interested in trialling their newly launched liquid vitamin supplement, Daily Defence. ‘Yes, yes I am’, I replied…

I went for the Daily Defence Joint Health with Extra Calcium which is specifically designed for 50 plus and was the ideal choice for me, but before embarking on my three month trial, I wanted to find out a bit more about the company. I was impressed with the calibre of their products – Neo-G designs and develops medical grade orthopaedic and sports supports which are supplied to medical professionals, therapists and various sport markets across the world, so their move into liquid nutrition to support healthy bodies and bones makes perfect sense. I was sold!So, how did it taste? Not gonna lie (as the young ‘uns say) it took some getting used to. A daily 20ml serving was recommended and on first swig it was just about palatable – it tasted a bit like thick toffee with a lemony/metal after taste. However, bear with me…once I took in the suggestion of drinking it ice-cold and diluted with fruit in a smoothie kind of way, things were a lot better – enjoyable even! I would spoon my serving into a glass with crushed ice and mixed berries and it was lovely and refreshing. Not only was I getting in a couple of my 5 a day, I was also boosting my joint and bone health with a whole heap of vitamin and mineral goodness.

Obviously, joint problems aren’t just an issue for some of us menopausal women, there are a host of common aches and pains suffered by many of us everyday – stiff neck, painful knees and hips, tennis elbow and shoulder pain are just a few. Even if you’re one of the lucky ones that doesn’t do the ‘neanderthal crouch to present day upright man’ when hobbling to the bathroom in the mornings, it would be sensible to start thinking about maintaining and strengthening your joint health before problems develop – and that’s the aim of Neo G’s Daily Defence Joint Health – to keep bones and joints supple and strong to help prevent deterioration.

Developed by nutritional experts, Daily Defence Joint Health contains a powerful combination of three active ingredients which are scientifically proven to help maintain healthy joints from the inside out:

Copper — Copper has a host of properties which help maintain everyday joint health. It helps maintain the connective tissues in the body, which includes bone and cartilage and is a natural anti inflammatory.

Calcium — Calcium is well known to support the growth of healthy teeth and bones, but also supports muscle function so it’s highly beneficial for maintaining healthy joints. As bones can weaken with many joint conditions, calcium is essential to support the growth and repair of healthy bones before problems arise.

Vitamin D — Vitamin D supports growth of healthy teeth and bones, as well as maintaining normal blood levels and muscle function. The NHS Choices website reports that 1 in 5 of us has low Vitamin D levels, so it’s important to keep it topped up.

Along with the 3 main ingredients, Daily Defence Expert Liquid Nutrition also includes those popular joint helpers,

Glucosamine Sulphate, Chondroitin Sulphate and Hyaluronic Acid.

So, how has it worked for me? Well, 2 months in and I’m getting less aches and pains than normal – this could be a combination of the supplement and the HRT plus the fact that I’m doing daily stretching exercises that I think are so important – especially when, like me, you’re as flexible as a plank of wood! But I am definitely going to carry on taking my special ‘joint and bone cocktail’ every morning as I’ve always believed in the power of a good nutritional supplement to complement a healthy diet and I feel that Neo G is a particularly well developed addition to my daily health and wellbeing. Plus if it can keep me on the dance floor for the next 50 years – which is what I’m intending – then that’s a definite bonus!

My boys (Stressed Husband and son) have flown off to watch England v Belgium in the World Cup in Russia and to partake in some beer-swilling, footie-watching, dad and lad bonding time. Lovely! And I am overly excited now because I’m off to Barcelona with some friends tomorrow for our annual few days of R&R by the pool!

We’re often asked by friends what we do when we’re there – clubbing? Sightseeing? Busy shopping expeditions? Nope. None of that. We are definitely not mums-go-mad on tour – we’re more women-that-won’t. And by that I mean, we won’t move from lounging around the pool unless it involves copious amounts of alcohol and carbs in the hotel restaurant! This is all we do. We eat, drink, laugh, chat, swim (bob up and down doing mummy breaststroke so as not to ruin the fresh highlights) – have a little break to read some trashy mags – then repeat. AND WE LOVE IT!

There is something quite hedonistic about doing exactly what you want to do, isn’t there? Yet, I wonder why. Why is it that women often feel they should be doing something for somebody else otherwise it doesn’t count – or it makes us feel guilty? Maybe that’s just me. For me, I think that is how it goes once you become a mum – even when you’re an almost-empty-nester mum – you’re still a mum and therefore, still always thinking about what the ‘kidults’ are up to and whether there’s anything you can do to help! This annual long weekend with the ladies, though – is ALL ABOUT ME! Yes, there will be WhatsApp messages, tweets and insta stories flying around the family groups but, in general, the kidults and Stressed Husband know that this is strictly my time and they leave me to it. Apart from raising an eyebrow and muttering the odd ‘lame…boring’ under their breath when I come home and tell them what I did (or didn’t do) on my few days away, they are pleased that my low-key weekend away rocks my boat (well, sways it very gently) and makes me happy.

So, I’ve got some busy busy weeks coming up when I return from my trip and I really need to start raising my blog game a bit more as I’ve been MIA while pondering the future of Glowology (that’s a whole other post to be written soon.) But, while I’m gone, I’d like to think that you, my lovely readers, might have a little think about what time out you take for yourself. Do you carve out special time to sit and think or relax or meditate and just be still? If you do, then fab – keep going because being and doing what really, really makes you feel good and brings you inner joy is so important – essential even! And if you don’t – or you don’t think you do it enough, make this weekend the start of you looking into what you want, where you want to be and what makes you happy.

Most of my friends and family will have seen my brief description of how to make a Marriage Cake on Facebook this morning as I wrote a post wishing my long-suffering Stressed Husband a Happy 25th Anniversary. I’d written it quickly but the sentiments were all there. So, as my mind began wondering about what to write to mark this huge occasion in my life, I decided to go back to that cake analogy, with a few extra steps to help make the recipe just right…

I’ve been away from blogging for so long that I’m not sure I’ve got any readers anymore – *looks around furtively* I hope I have, but I’m not going to faff around – I’m just going to jump straight back in!

Good morning! So you’re awake. What time is it? Oh, 3am – and I’m here, as usual. Same time, same place. Please don’t close your eyes and ignore me – I’m self-doubting Deirdre and I’m here for a reason. I’m here to tell you that what you’ve been thinking all along is true. You’re not good enough.

Oh I knooooow! It’s Monday. It’s raining. The alarm is buzzing like an angry bumblebee caught in a glass and all I want to do is pull the duvet back over my head and put an OOO (Out Of Office notice people) on my whole life…Or at least I did, until I worked out ways of making waking up and getting proactive, a lot easier. I’m not saying these tips always work, but they sure as hell have helped me 99% of the time. And as I’m a S.A.D sufferer and a flip flops-and-beach-for-life kinda girl, I’m guessing – and hoping – that they will help you too…

When I was thinking about what to write for Valentine’s Day, it wasn’t the couple-y, hearts and flowers relationship stuff I wanted to focus on – even though that’s lovely and I hope you’re getting plenty of loving today and everyday! I wanted to think about loving ourselves because I think my post about my second honeymoon (read it again, here) was as much lovey doveyness I could muster up for one month. So, when this fabulous little offer dropped into my inbox, I wanted to share it with you and share the joy of giving yourself a daily skin treat because Lumity Facial Oil is one of my favourite products ever!

I mentioned how Lumity Facial Oil was a major player in my skin support armoury when I was in South Africa on Instagram – and you can read about my holiday favourites by clicking here Of course, if you want to follow me on instagram too, I would be delighted…listen, share the love, it’s Valentine’s Day, after all! 😉

As you can see from the pic below, my facial oil is almost empty as it’s so well loved. It’s actually my second bottle- my first was gifted by the lovely glow-getters at Lumity but this one was purchased by me, as is my monthly prescription to Lumity Life Daily Supplements which I’ve been using and loving for years now. In fact I’ve got so many friends hooked on these health and mood boosting supplements that I’m feeling a bit like a dealer! Just the other day on my dog walk, a friend (nearing her fabulous fifties) stopped me to tell me that she was so pleased she’d purchased the supplements as she’s sleeping better and is much less moody. Ha! I love it when a plan comes together – just spreading the feel-good love makes me happy! 🙂

Back to the facial oil – it’s packed full of antioxidant rich plant oils such as Marula Oil which contains vitamins C and E, speeds healing and improves strength, suppleness and firmness. And I think Kukui Seed Oil is worth a mention too, as it’s a Hawaiian beauty secret prized for its skin-soothing properties which helps leave even the driest, troubled skin look radiant. But as well as these complexion wonder ingredients, I love it because it’s perfect for all skin types, smells delicious and feels super nourishing without being heavy. And I have to say, I use it everywhere! Neck, chest, hands and when I’m in a rush, after applying to the face, I often run the remnants through the ends of my hair to smooth down frizzies.

So, the special Valentine’s treat for my much loved readers is that from today until Sunday 18th, Lumity are are offering you 50% off your first delivery of Lumity Facial Oil when you start their subscription option. So it’s just £24 for your first bottle and then £48 per bottle – with complimentary shipping – for each order after that. (You can opt to receive your delivery every 4, 6 or 8 weeks).

I first got my mitts on this pretty pinky-gold round pot of skin goodness just before I went off to South Africa at the beginning of January. I was kindly sent it from the brand Caudalie, who were also generous enough to pop in a tube of sun protection for my trip to sunnier climes (oh, how I miss thee sunshine). At first, I wondered whether I should wait to try it when I returned home, after all, my skin was about to be sabotaged by sun, sea and excessive alcohol and carb consumption. Surely, I thought, any products were not going to shine when up against that gamut of complexion wreckers? Well. I thought wrong. So very, very wrong!

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have watched my recent stories while I was in South Africa and felt one of two things: A) you wanted to kick me in the shin because it was peeing down of rain in the UK and you couldn’t stand my smug face grinning out from a beach/safari/sunbed with cocktail while you were on the commute to work with B.O man’s armpit in your face OR B) You smiled and found it fascinating! As one of my true (in real life) friends said today “While you were away, I woke up and checked your stories immediately as it felt like I was actually there with you – it was really exciting!” And that made me happy, because that was my aim. Even though it was just me and loveable, old Stressed Husband, I wanted to share it because it was such a wonderful, mind-blowing trip, I wanted you to get some enjoyment from it too! And that is the wonder of social media…in my world, sharing is caring 🙂

Well, the party is finally over for 2017 and it’s time to get into the groove of 2018 – a fresh, new and shiny year! I’ve never been one for setting New Year resolutions as I feel they put too much pressure on yourself to be unrealistically perfect and then make you feel crappy when you (invariably) break them. And all that dry January malarkey – why on earth would anybody do that to themselves in the coldest, gloomiest, most depressing month of the year? Surely a tipple or two is medicinal for us SAD sufferers – in moderation, of course. However, I do like to have a sort of fluid – very fluid – plan of action at the beginning of the year to ease me along the path to health and happiness. Here are my Top 3 Health Goals for 2018…

Remember when your gran used to say ‘ooh, time flies by!’ well, I’m with gran because 2017 has honestly been the swiftest year for me so far. I really hope they do start slowing down a bit now I’m 50. Yes, I know they are all actually 365 days a year and all the days have 24 hours in them, but that doesn’t explain why yesterday it was August and today it’s nearly the end of blooming December! Anyway, enough of the pondering, I’m giving a big shout out to the things that have made a positive difference in my life over the last year and I hope you enjoy my little trip down memory lane with my top 5 Glow Givers of 2017…

Batting my half century out of the park in August with a fabulous party/vow renewal and celebrations which seem to have happily gone on and on and on….my attention has definitely been diverted from ‘How do I look?’ to ‘How do I feel?’ It seems I’m not the only one. Scouring the blogosphere which is exploding with exciting and vital over 50 bloggers and reading features in magazines/newspapers and watching the gorgeous Angela Rippon in How to Stay Young, it’s clear to see that there’s a much needed revolution of us ‘oldies’ in society – in real life and in the media and on our screens. The Grey Army (or Rainbow Warriors I like to think because we are NOT fading into the background) are a force to be reckoned with and according to recent research from Superdrug, 7 in 10 women say they feel more confident now than they did in their twenties, proving that confidence comes with age and attitudes to ageing are-a-changing.

Seeing as I’m giving my blog a bit of a shake up over the next few months, one of the categories I want to resurrect isWhat’s Not To Love Wednesday, where I’ll be focussing on something that makes me trill with delight (trill? Well…you know what I mean.) And, unlike the rest of my blog, it may not have anything to do with beauty and wellbeing specifically – thought whatever it is, will always bring a frisson of joy into your life – a bit of glowology!

There’s definitely a time and place for long, relaxing treatments that encompass beauty and wellbeing, or for those slightly invasive techniques that delve a bit deeper into your skin concerns and may leave you with a day or two of downtime. And that’s all well and good, but with Christmas around the corner and not enough hours in the day, I want no-fuss, get-me-looking-good-right-now kind of help.

Anyone who knows me knows I’m a summertime girl – flip flops, cocktails and beaches are up there on my list of favourite things and sunshine is always guaranteed to lift my mood. But when winter comes around, it can be a different story. As much as I enjoy parts of it, such as sparkly fairy lights, mulled wine and comfort foods, I really have to be ready for the bleaker days ahead, so I need to pull out the happy-makers to blast away the dark day doldrums!

In a world where 50 year olds are shopping alongside their teenage daughters in Top Shop (hello, me!) and giving those Lulu Lemon clad 20-somethings a run for their money in the gym (hello, me! Oh. Wait. No, that isn’t me. But it is women over 50 that I know) then I reckon we can drop the middle-aged tag and just be us. Age-free, fuss-free and label-free!

Like many bloggers, I’ve had my ups and downs in the blogosphere. Some days I’ve been excitedly making plans about what I could write about or how I could develop my blogging skills, maybe by learning more about photography, attending blogging courses and meeting up with other like-minded bloggers. Other days I’ve been a bit ‘meh, blogging schmogging’. And sadly, it’s been more of the latter vibe lately.

Do you ever feel you just need a place to get away and restore the brain batteries? A place where you can grab a bit of peace and quiet, where you won’t being disrupted every 5 minutes by a slobbering labrador wanting food/walks or a teen that’s lost her college pass, homework, purse, mobile….? I do! Being freelance definitely has its advantages but there are a few downsides, so finding a hub of tranquility among busy London life is ideal…Well, I found it and it’s called Gazelli House!

That Indian Summer kept dipping its head in and out of the first days of autumn, didn’t it? Last week I did the dog walk in waterproof boots because it was muddy at the park, changed into flip flops for a meeting (gold, special ones ;-)) because the sun was out and because I’d just painted my toenails a lovely red/orange and then left the meeting a few hours later, squelching through puddles with a scarf wrapped around my head to shield off the wind and rain! Wow, do excuse me for that terribly British weather update but here’s what I’m getting at…

Lisa Barrett

Hello, I’m Lisa, a former Cosmo and Woman's Own beauty editor who has written for some of the UKs top magazines. As a mid-life, almost empty nester (be warned - their washing never moves out with them) I decided to create Glowology as a platform for women who are on a similar journey to me, who want to look and feel fabulous throughout the trials and triumphs of everyday life - and have fun while doing so. My aim is to share with you inspirational news and views on beauty, style, wellbeing and health - always with an emphasis on pro-ageing. I hope you like what you read!